Female director Vika Evdokimenko’sAamir is based on a true story of an unaccompanied child living in the Calais ‘Jungle’ refugee camp, where part of the film was shot. This topical film stars second generation immigrant Alan Asaad (Unforgotten) and has just been nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Short Film. This wonderful film will be screening in the coming weeks at the London Short Film Festival.

13 year old Aamir has fled his home and been separated from his family only to be stranded alone in the largest unofficial refugee camp in Europe. When he is befriended by Katlyn, a well meaning but thinly stretched British volunteer, she becomes Aamir’s last hope for salvation.

This winter we are still seeing thousands of unaccompanied children stranded in untenable conditions across Europe often falling victim to trafficking and abuse, sometimes vanishing without trace. Originally the production team wanted to cast a child refugee from the Calais ‘Jungle, but disturbingly, every time they returned to the camp the children they had talked to had disappeared.

Russian-British award winning Director Vika Evdokimenko spent her early years as an immigrant in Northern Ireland. After graduating from Cambridge University her short documentary Relative Madness premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and her narrative short Katya & The Scarlet Sails won the Special Jury Prize at the International Canada Film Festival and Best Short at Fargo Fantastic Film Festival. Her feature screenplay The Place Behind Her Ears was the winner of Best Graduate Feature Screenplay at the 2015 Fusion Film Festival and a featured on the NYU Purple List 2015.

Evdokimenko co-wrote the film alongside Oliver Shuster and the cinematography was created veteran DOP, Robbie Ryan (American Honey, Fish Tank). Emma Stone co-produced the film, also alongside Vika. The film has just started its festival run and has already been selected for the BFI Film Festival and the London Short Film Festival.

The BAFTA’s will be held on 18th February at the Royal Albert Hall and will be hosted by Joanna Lumley.